Father reports youngster
doing better after surgery
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — Although there is still a rough road to travel, a 4-year-old township boy with a cancerous tumor is doing better these days.
According to Tony Triolo, his son, Anthony, who was diagnosed with the tumor in April, had the mass surgically removed on Aug. 5.
"By Saturday (Aug. 9) he was home and by Sunday he was riding his bike," Triolo said.
The youngster had a brief respite from his usual daily routine, which has included chemotherapy since June.
"We thought he’d be able to have a week or so at home without treatment," Triolo said.
Not so. Not yet anyway. At the time the News Transcript spoke with Triolo, Anthony was back at Robert Wood John-son University Hospital, New Brunswick, undergoing 48 hours of intensive chemo-therapy. The child undergoes several different types of chemo — this one was the worst, according to his father. It’s very draining, it makes him quite ill and brings mouth sores which are quite painful for the youngster.
This treatment is number five. Anthony will have to go through nine more treatments before the prescribed therapy is completed, which, Triolo said, will take him into mid-February.
Stating that the surgery to remove the tumor went very well, Triolo explained that the tumor was already necrotic upon removal which, he said, means that previous chemotherapy worked.
Doctors removed half of Anthony’s fourth rib and half of his fifth rib, where the tumor was attached. The surgery turned out to be less extensive than the surgeon initially thought it would be, according to Triolo. He said the doctor had expected to remove parts of other ribs as well.
Luckily, that wasn’t necessary.
As expected, the youngster had a wedge placed in the spaces where parts of the ribs were removed. This area was then covered with a mesh coating.
Triolo told the News Transcript in an earlier article that the mesh would most likely need to be removed periodically as the child grew. Now, he said, that may not be necessary.
Triolo said that because the surgery went so well and because the tumor was already dead upon removal, the recovery rate climbs to 95 percent, a fact which gives Triolo and his wife, Maria, measurable comfort.
Both parents take turns staying overnight at the hospital while Anthony goes through his chemotherapy. The couple also has two daughters, Emma, 6, and Sarah, 1.
Although the surgery was successful, Anthony must continue the chemotherapy treatments to hopefully prevent what his father called micro metastasis, which, he explained, are cancer cells that may be floating around in the blood.
"We need to make sure that those cells do not attach themselves to something else and come back again," he said.
The surgery, which was performed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, may not be completely covered by the couple’s insurance, so friends and neighbors got together and organized a benefit for Anthony in order to help with expenses.
The benefit at Basile’s restaurant in Monroe Township was held on July 17 and according to Triolo, was very successful. More than 150 people showed up to lend support and financial help to the couple.
Friends can keep up with Anthony’s progress on the Internet Web site his dad established at www.geocities.com/s.
On the site, Triolo tracks Anthony’s progress with his chemotherapy treatments and has written in journal form the child’s experiences as well as his own. Poignant and touching, as well as informative, the entries speak of love and hope as one reads along.
Triolo said Anthony is doing well and said the family wants to thank all who have offered support. Triolo added thanks to the businesses and corporate sponsors who gave so generously at the benefit.